SLACK IS BACK!
Notes
- These are William Potter's sleevenotes taken from the 2006 CD "Rich & Strange: The Anthology" released on Universal Records
- More info about The Anthology
'CHEW on this', 'Holy COW!', 'Pull the UDDER one', 'UDDERly Fab-tastic', 'CHEW GRAZERS', 'Boom! Shake the RUMINANT!' 'On the MOOve' and (a personal favourite) 'I HERD it through the BOVINE'. When we picked the name, CUD, we did not consider the years of awkward cow puns we might have to endure. Neither did our ambitions span to compiling 'Best of' CDs 20 years later. But, such was our fabulous fortune. Handicapped with an unglamourous tag, it proved a protracted path for four penniless indie practicians wheezing in the mildew of Carl's basement rehearsal space in Leeds to become chart-bothering headliners in glittery shirts, tumbling out of tour buses from Yorkshire to New York.
The initial surge came one charmed week in June 1987 when our first bold and bouncy demos fell into the hands of The Wedding Present, who offered us a record deal, and the palms of John Walters, who offered us a Peel session. 'You Sexy Thing', a sped-up live favourite from this session, overshadowed our own songs for a while but gave listeners a good indication of the brassy guitar pop and good humour they could expect from The CUD Band.
The thrill of this early break was soon replaced by a more grounded, hand-to-mouth, dole cheque-to-soundcheck pace, compilation album tracks and solitary singles, such as 'Under My Hat'. As the lyrics quote, "Times are hard and money is tight." But our spirits were held aloft by the great lark that is making up tunes and playing them to paying folk and the promise of one Church of the SubGenius that success would come inevitably to the work-shy. The influence of said church can be gleaned in such hymns to indolence as 'Slack Time' and 'I've Had It With Blondes'.
The label, Imaginary, became our next saviour. Following a couple more covers, including 'Lola' for their tribute to The Kinks, we were promised a debut LP. What we delivered was probably and should be the first and last indie rock opera, 'When in Rome, Kill Me'. This string of catchy arias was held together with the random tale of one man's quest for the myopic Bibi. Thanks are due to Steve's resident landlord and band accountant, Johnny Money, for his contribution as cover star and lead actor. 'Only (A Prawn in Whitby)', one of the opera's centrepieces, was often misrepresented as Morrissey's seafood temptation. May I stress that at no point were crustaceans harmed during the writing of this song. 'Vocally Speaking', 'Wobbly Jelly' and 'Alison Springs' sound as fresh today as they did when they were recorded in the steam era. Hooray for remasterizing!
The Nineties arrived, Carl's hair became a mane, William grew out of wearing cycling shorts on stage, Steve became known, enigmatically, as The Drummer From Cud and Mike was proving a mature meister of the merry melody. Sir David Gregory of XTC was enlisted to add pop sparkle to single 'Hey!wire' and the songs that made up our second Imaginary album, 'Leggy Mambo'. 'Hey, Boots', a greeting to Bootsy Collins suggested the band were listening to far more than rock fare. A knee-bending dance element weaved its way into bongo breakouts such as 'Robinson Crusoe' and 'Magic'. Live, The CUD Band were spreading loving rhythms from the stagefront to the rear bars of college venues from north to south. Stage invasions were commonplace. Someone was bound to notice.
By summer 1990 the band had fallen under the sway of the trumpet of Herb Alpert. Lured by the brass and a fine easy-listening back catalogue, CUD signed on the dotty line to A&M. Carl's signature was three times the size of anyone elses, I recall.
Once upon a major label, time filled with college radio idents and meet-and-greet, whirlwind club tours of the States. We posed by Herb's car-parking bay and ate fine seafood. We recorded in countryside studios with TV lounges and catering. We invested in bicycles and shirts. Our singles began to prod the lower reaches of the Top Forty at a time when Britpop meant Vimto, and to get daytime airplay meant a day trip to Great Yarmouth to mime on the Radio 1 Roadshow. 'Oh No Won't Do' was close, 'Through the Roof' an almost hit. Then, with much relief, 'Rich and Strange', hit the lofty height of No.24. Justice was served. We peaked.
A&M struggled thenceforth to pinpoint the essence of CUD so single choices flipped and flopped between live favourites like 'Purple Love Balloon' and attempts at drawing in Radio 2 listeners with ballads such as 'Once Again'. Still, we travelled the length of the isle doing our utmost to spread joy and attainable glamour to legions of lovers adorned in sweat-sodden udder T-shirts.
After too much delay, our final A&M album, 'Showbiz' was liberated from the A&R department in 1994. This more muscular beast was something more 'international sounding' yet was turned down by the States. Can they be forgiven? Our dayglo colours were shed for mono videos in abandoned power stations and in wastelands. 'Neurotica' screamed of sado-masochism. There were spritely pop picks such as 'One Giant Love' also, to embolden our fanbase, the ever-faithful Space CUDets, but behind-the-scenes pressures bore down on the band and their friendships. 'One Giant Love' proved to be our final single.
This collection stretches in to the years of limbo when our demos (songs such as 'Stay' and 'Apollo') were mailed 'Return to Sender' and, despite plans for a compilation in 1995 (for which this previously unheard version of 'Strange Kind of Love' was recorded), nothing was legally released.
I left in 1995 and, for a time, the able Mick Dale continued the struggle. A year passed, then CUD passed into history. There was an official day of mourning.
Now, due to nominal demand CUD have returned to bring light and instruction to a new wave of listeners and Space CUDets whose vinyl copies have been worn to shreds or rotted in sheds. Here in remastered glory, shimmering under the laser are songs I am proud to have been a part of. I'm bloody glad they are back to bother again with their bounce, insidious catchiness and rampant pheromones. For new and ancient listeners alike, we bring you the majesty that was, that IS The CUD Band. From a wealth of cow puns I swear, "Better UNGULATE than never!"